Ginny sat cross-legged on the newly-redone couch in Remus’ quarters. Sev sat in her lap and surrounding them were open books and magazines with design ideas on them. Behind them, Harry stood in the middle of the now-spacious room, a construction spell book in his hand, changing the quarters according to their direction.

“Do you think granite would be good for their kitchens, love? By the way, give me your hand, please? Your nails are getting a bit long.”

“A ba!” Sev pointed to a picture of a beautiful kitchen with granite counters and a nice cherry finish for the cabinets.

“Oh, that is gorgeous!” Ginny exclaimed as she grasped Sev’s tiny hand lightly. “Harry! Here—do their kitchen like this and then save the picture for Godric’s Hollow. Do you want your kitchen to look like that?”

Harry grasped the magazine and graced her with an indulgent look. “Love, as long as the kitchen has an ice box, stove, and pantry, I’ll be absolutely happy. In fact, that’s what’s in my kitchen right now, so I am absolutely happy.”

“But what does your kitchen look like?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. Plain?” Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. “It has a table.” The other eyebrow went up this time. “Look, Gin, if you want to redo my kitchen to look like this, you are absolutely welcome.” He took the magazine and headed towards the half-done kitchen area of Remus’ quarters. “In fact, compared to my home, the Burrow looks like a luxury hotel right now.”

Ginny took Sev’s little hand and fingered his long nails gently. “That’s because you have no sense of interior design, Harry.” She took out her wand and softly tapped one of his nails three times, murmuring softly, “One, two, three…Curtus!” Sev bit his lip to contain his smile and cooed quietly as the nail shrunk to a safe size, delighting in the feel of Ginny’s smooth hand against his tiny one.

“Ginny, I’m a guy. I’m perfectly happy with the bare necessities.”

Ginny snorted. “Malfoy’s a guy too. I’m pretty sure he’s not perfectly happy with the bare necessities.”

Harry slammed the magazine down onto the kitchen table and began working on the counters. “And that’s what makes the difference between a real man and a sorry excuse for one.” He checked the picture one more time before continuing his work. “I can’t believe you compared me to that ferret! Malfoy’s all talk and no trousers, he is. Keeps babbling this rubbish about pure-bloods first and all that and when he’s ordered to walk the walk, he gets so scared the talk even stops! Well it served him right, that!” He scoffed. “Where was his rebellious streak? Where was the point where he started questioning his beliefs and all the rubbish his father injected into his head? He just swallowed it all up, he did! He’s a carbon copy of his father.”

“Harry, without people like them, there would be no people like us.” She checked each of Sev’s nails to make sure they were no longer sharp before reaching for his other hand.

“Well why can’t people like them just exist in memory?”

“There’s no time like the present to start diluting the prejudice, isn’t there?” Ginny replied, giving him a sidelong glance over her shoulder before turning back to cutting Sev’s nails. “We can change the laws, Harry.”

“Changing laws isn’t going to make their kind go away.”

“Would you listen to yourself?!” Ginny retorted, annoyed at where this conversation was heading. “If you just switch some of your words to pure-bloods first, you’ll start sounding exactly like them. Stop it!”

Silence reigned from the kitchen.

Sev shifted a bit on Ginny’s lap in order to look over her shoulder, curious as to how Harry reacted to that bit of harsh truth. The teenager was leaning against the new granite counter, his back tense and his face scrunched up. His eyes were screwed shut, though, and he looked to be performing a deep breathing exercise.

“They’re entitled to their opinion, Harry.” Ginny continued. “When they cross the line into acting on it—that’s when they start being in the wrong. The Malfoys are all talk and no trousers—you said so yourself. They’re in no danger of crossing that line…yet.” She paused. “You, Harry, on the other hand, are heading straight there. So stop it!” She scoffed and turned back to trimming Sev’s nails. “Be the change you want to see in the world. Tolerance is what we need—nothing more, nothing less. To want anything else is extremist and unnecessary. You’re a bare necessities kind of guy. How ‘bout it?” With that note of finality, and with a gentleness that betrayed her stern tone, she tucked Sev’s hand back against his tummy and kissed him on the head in silent praise of his good behavior.

“Hey, love,” Ginny tapped Sev softly on the arm, murmuring in his ear. “How about we look through some gardens, eh? Harry told me he has lots of room for gardens at his house in Godric’s Hollow. Can you help me pick out some nice designs? I have a bit of a green thumb.” Severus tipped his head back to see Ginny smiling down at him, her brown eyes alight with excitement. He gave her a curious look.

Sev didn’t get it. Weren’t they just arguing a second ago? Why was she suddenly all happy again?

“Ooo ah Haweh…agoow.”

Ginny’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Yes…?” She paused, and then amended, “Well…we didn’t quite argue. More like, we had a heated discussion. I gave him a bit of a reality check. Why, sweetie?” She asked worriedly. “Is this bothering you?”

Severus shook his head firmly. “Mo. Mo…” He pointed up at Ginny. “Ooo appeh mow?” He signed ‘happy’ and then ‘what’, giving her a confused look.

Understanding dawned in Ginny’s eyes. “Oh!” She tipped her head back in relief and smiled at the ceiling. “Sev…” She readjusted the infant on her lap so that they could look at each other better, and wrapped her arms around him. “Just because Harry and I argue doesn’t mean we hate each other. We just have a difference of opinion and we’re trying to resolve it.” She thought for a second. “Did you know that having occasional arguments is actually healthy for a relationship? The world is not all sunshine and rainbows.” She gave him a gentle smile. “I may sound angry during the argument, but I’m not angry angry. Not really.”

“You better believe that, cub.” Harry added, leaning over the back of the couch and peering at Sev over Ginny’s shoulder. He, too, was smiling. “When Ginny’s really angry, you’ll know it.”

“I tend to stop speaking and refrain from looking at my source of anger.” Ginny filled in.

“She also tends to send bat-bogies in their direction if she’s especially irritated.” Harry snorted.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “At some people, not everyone. The point is,” she turned back to Sev, “Harry and I bicker like that all the time. It doesn’t really mean anything. They’re moments of irritation and nothing more. Think of it as a sort of warning from one of us to the other.”

“’Hey, you’re annoying me! Rethink yourself right now!’” Harry added in a funny voice, drawing quotation marks in the air. He and Ginny exchanged an amused look as he came around the side of the couch and took a seat next to his girlfriend. “I’m sorry, by the way.” He told Ginny, leaning against the back of the couch and giving her a mock pitiful look.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you see that now.” She scoffed.

“Gin…” Harry sighed. “I just spent the last few years thinking in terms of ‘Voldemort is enemy because of his beliefs, must destroy Voldemort’.” He said in a robotic sort of voice. “The last year alone, during the Horcrux hunt, that’s all I’ve been able to think about.”

“That’s all?!” Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You know what I mean!” Harry rolled his eyes. “It’s not exactly easy to turn those thoughts off.”

“Well you have to, Harry.” Ginny replied gently. “It may be hard, but you do.”

Harry grimaced, sighed, and nodded, pausing for a moment before turning to Sev. The infant was studying him with an air of guarded interest. “Have you had a bad experience like this before, Sev?” He asked, propping his feet up onto the low coffee table and laying an arm across Ginny’s shoulders. “With two people arguing, I mean?”

Severus swallowed and sighed as he eyed Harry warily. Ever so slowly, he signed ‘mum’ and ‘dad’.

Ginny and Harry exchanged a concerned glance. “What about their arguments bothered you, Sev?” Ginny asked gently.

Severus bit his lip and began signing. “D-aaaah-d”—‘Dad’—“Mmmmmaaaah-d”—‘Mad’—“Muuuuuuuh-m”—‘Mum’—“cweeeeewd”—‘Scared’.

Ginny’s arms tightened around him as she gazed down at him sadly. “I’m really sorry you had to live through that, Sev.” She said, genuine sorrow filling her voice. “But I can guarantee you that’s never going to happen between Harry and I.”

“Ever. Ever. Ever.” Harry added.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I’m ever afraid of him.” She tipped her head towards her boyfriend. “Voldemort-vanquisher or not, I’m still going to shoot bat-bogies at him if I think he’s getting out of line.” Ginny poked Sev’s tummy, causing the infant to giggle.

“Plus, what your father was doing to your mother was domestic abuse.” Harry added seriously. “The emotional kind of domestic abuse.” He paused. “Did he ever hit her?” Sev shook his head. “Just yelled?” A nod. Harry then paused even longer, his eyes darkening slightly. “Did he ever hit you?” Sev shook his head even more firmly than before. “Just yelled?” Another firm nod. Harry sighed and grimaced. “Sometimes the words hurt worse than blows, don’t they?” The infant peered at him contemplatively. After a long moment, he shrugged.

I don’t really know. He answered internally. My father never really hit me like your uncle did you. For a moment, Severus thought about how he would’ve reacted had his father actually raised a hand to him. I probably would’ve exploded in his face. He answered honestly Would’ve given in to the instinct and just murdered the bastard. Sentenced myself to life in Azkaban at thirteen. Then he remembered Harry, and how the teenager had lived with the words and the beatings and the neglect all his life. And he still hasn’t killed his aunt and uncle. Probably never will…Sev grimaced. What kind of person am I?

“Violence begets violence.” Harry murmured, as if he’d read Sev’s thoughts. “The cycle only stops when one chooses to stop it.”

The teenager laid a hand against Sev’s cheek and looked him straight in the eye. “Now listen to me, Sev, and listen well.” He began firmly. “I will never, ever abuse either of you in any way, shape, or form.” He declared strongly. “I have lived through too much of that in my life to have it in my home at all. I will not have anyone in my life living through what I lived through as a child. I swear this to you right now. The both of you!” He amended, meeting Ginny’s eyes as well as Sev’s. “I would turn my wand on myself before I’d ever hurt either of you. Do you understand me?”

“I already know that, Harry.” Ginny replied confidently, love and admiration gleaming in her eyes.

Sev, for his part, gave Harry a small smile. “Pomeh?”

“Promise.” Harry replied resolutely. Then a thought occurred to him. “Now…just for clarification, that doesn’t mean I’m beyond a simple spanking.” He remarked with a raised eyebrow. “A smack on the bum here and there, if it’s warranted. I will promise you this—I will give you a warning to change your behavior before it becomes warranted. But if a spanking is indeed deserved, I promise you it will be preceded and proceeded by a lengthy, emotional, and mushy, mushy discussion…plus plenty of this—”

Harry moved faster than Sev could imagine, picking the infant up, cradling him in the crook of one arm, and then proceeding to tickle him mercilessly. Severus squealed and then burst into a fit of giggles. It felt like Harry was tickling him everywhere! He kicked and squirmed, tipping his head back to look at Ginny through the tears of laughter forming in his eyes. “Immmmmmy! HeheheheheheheheP! HEP! Hahahahahahah! IMMY!” But she was no help. Ginny merely laughed at the pair of them, snapping pictures when Harry started blowing raspberries on his tummy. “Mo. MO! Hahahahahahaha! Haweh…Haha…OP! Op, PEA!”

After what seemed like forever, Harry finally relented, relaxing against the couch once again. He waited patiently for Sev to catch his breath, reaching up his free hand to try to smooth the infant’s wild hair. “So…” he started, looking at the baby intensely, “…do we have an understanding?”

Sev gazed up at him trustingly. “Ooo pomeh?”

“I promise.” Harry swore. The infant smiled and signed ‘yes’. “Excellent.” The teen leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead before turning to Ginny. “And to you I promise as well.”

“I know, Harry.” Ginny smiled, reaching over to give her boyfriend a quick kiss.

“Excellent!” Harry looked from one to the other. “Now how about we finish this place so Remus, Tonks, and Teddy can move in, eh?”

“What are you telling that to us for? You’re not even done with the kitchen!” Ginny smirked as Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh yeah!”

“Come on, love. Help me pick out that garden.” She reached over and placed Severus back on her lap, calling one of the flying magazines over to her. “Oh, and Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“We’ve decided to make it lofted—just like our quarters. So do hurry up, will you? You’ve got a lot of work to do…” She whistled as she turned the page of her magazine.

Harry groaned.

Sev giggled.

“By the way, sir, we’ve finished with Remus’ quarters.” Harry commented during dinner.

“Excellent! I’ll let them know after supper.” Dumbledore beamed.

“We made it lofted, just like Harry’s quarters.” Ginny explained excitedly. “We even added a secret office and a…uh…”

“Panic room?” Dumbledore supplied.

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Yes, sir.”

“We’re starting to make them standard for all the professors’ rooms.” McGonagall explained. “We’re going to do something about all the dormitories as well; we just don’t know what yet.”

“Oh…that’s interesting!” Ginny nodded. 

Severus ignored their entire exchange, preferring to bounce upon Harry’s lap and practice his grasping skills with Harry’s food.

Okay…what have we got here? Sev studied the teenager’s plate. Or, at least, he studied what he could see on the teenager’s plate, as the plate itself sat at his eye-level. Those look like mashed potatoes—good and the easiest to get down. That one appears to be meat—tough to chew with teeth, choking hazard without them. Then we have corn—can I digest corn? Peas—gross but easy to chew. Carrots—I wouldn’t touch those with a meter stick.

Sev contemplated his menu for a minute or two before reaching out and grabbing a handful of the mashed potatoes, splashing the mush all over the plate in the process. He glanced up at Harry tentatively, but the teenager was turned away, engaged in an intense conversation with an eating Hagrid. Ginny, on the other hand, was looking right at him. Sev froze. After a pregnant pause, however, Ginny winked and slowly grinned at him. Sev recognized mischief behind her hazel eyes. She then flipped her hair and pointedly turned her head in the other direction, breathing not a word to Harry. Sev grinned and promptly began licking his fingers clean. 

When he was finished with the mashed potatoes that had stuck themselves to his hand, Sev glanced up at Harry once again. This time, his attention was directed towards Professor Flitwick, as they debated about the pros and cons of using certain charms in specific situations. Excellent! Sev smiled and reached for the peas this time. Little green balls promptly rolled all over the place. Still, Harry didn’t notice.

Reach in…get it with the palm…close the fingers…got it! Bring it to mouth…stick everything in…excellent!

Sev repeated the process several times until he decided to have more mashed potatoes. In his excitement for more potatoes, he knocked most of the carrots off the plate and pushed half the steak onto the table by accident. Whoops! Rather than doing anything about it, though, he merely grasped more potatoes and quickly brought his hand to his mouth, smearing most his face with the white mush as he did so.

Halfway through Sev licking his hand clean, Harry finally remembered he was having dinner and turned back to his plate. “What in Merlin’s name…?!”

The entire table suddenly burst into laughter at Harry’s shocked expression.

“We were wondering how long it would take you to notice, dear boy.” Dumbledore told him between chuckles.

“Lil’ guy’s been up ta tha’ fer the last twenty minutes or so.” Hagrid elaborated in the same manner.

“Gin?” Harry turned to his girlfriend questioningly.

“Hey, I’m not the one who’s supposed to be feeding him right now.” She grinned unrepentantly. “He probably got bored with your incessant babbling, so he decided to feed himself.”

Harry looked down at the infant incredulously and Sev graced him with that toothless grin of his around the two fingers in his mouth. The teenager couldn’t help it; he smiled at the adorable sight. “Are you quite done making a mess of my dinner?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Severus popped the fingers out of his mouth and laughed. “Uh-huh!” He turned to Ginny, signing ‘milk’ and ‘please’. “Immy…mik, pea.”

The table promptly burst into another round of laughter.

“He got you there, love.” Ginny smirked at her boyfriend as she wiped Sev’s face and then lifted him into the sling she was wearing. “‘Yes, I’m quite done messing up your dinner, Harry. I’m going to go eat now, okay?’”

Harry scowled. “Thanks a lot, Severus.”

The baby merely continued to giggle.